Lionheart
by WithoutAWord
Summary: Collection of drabbles - theme of bravery throughout. Requests welcomed, but they must stick to the T rating.
1. Christmas Eve - Plane

**_A/N Here is my ridiculously short drabble, set on Christmas Eve, simply because I feel bad about not having time to write any proper updates. Definitely not my best but still – enjoy! :)_**

She felt different as soon as her foot landed on the wet, English soil.

Deep down, she knew it was all in her head. She knew it wasn't _really_ this country which caused her to think so negatively, but telling herself that didn't seem to make it any easier.

Be that as it may, even the warmth of the Californian sun hadn't eased her suffering without Peter by her side. No, if she ever wanted to truly be happy then she needed to face this head on and stop burying her head in the sand. She needed to come to terms with her past, and move on with her lover by her side.

And so, although she thought she was mad, she couldn't deny that - however much she wished it wasn't so - **this would always be home**.


	2. Christmas Eve - Peter's Doorstep

_**A/N **__**Don't know what you all think about this, but I've thought about making this into a collection of drabbles about Carla being brave in one way or another. If this idea appeals to anyone, please leave a quick review so that I know there is interest for something like this. I would be fully open to requests; it could be an event from Carla's past, present, or even future – the only rule is that bravery is a theme, no matter how big or small. If this doesn't interest anyone, then I will leave it with just the two chapters, and have it as a Christmas theme, but thought I'd let you decide what comes of it.**_

_**Thank you to LoveeCarlaConnor, my faithful reviewer, for your review on the last drabble. As always, much appreciated.**_

_**This one carries on nicely from the last one, and is set late Christmas Eve/early Christmas Day when Carla surprised Peter on his doorstep. Enjoy!**_

Carla rang the doorbell and let out an exhaustive sigh as she turned around to glance down the deserted street. It was the very early hours of Christmas Day, and there wasn't a soul around to disturb the peace which had settled, along with the snow.

She couldn't help but wish it was always as contented as this.

It was hard to believe that even the mention of this place had caused such dread to brew in the pit of her stomach with the sedate atmosphere filling the bitterly cold air this December evening. She knew once everybody was out in force at the start of a new day she would be reminded just why, but she was stronger now than ever before, and the prospect of spending every day with Peter by her side was far more appealing than living somewhere else without him.

'I had a feeling it might be...'

The sound of his voice reminded her why she was here, facing her demons. She spun around, the biggest smile tugging at her lips when she finally saw his face once more – the face she thought, just days ago, that she would never see again.

'Oh, I've travelled five thousand miles to see that moosh. I can't tell you how much I've missed it.'


	3. Returning to the Flat

_**A/N It looks like I'm going to be making this into a nice little collection of drabbles, so that's great. I'll keep it set as 'complete' though, as I have no idea how many of these I will actually do. Thank you to those of you who took the time to review, much appreciated as ever.**_

_**Special thank you to **__lastrequest__** for providing me with my first request! (...that honestly wasn't planned! How ironic...)**_

_**This is set some time in the not too distant future, when Carla returns to her flat to collect the rest of her things. I'm assuming that she's still with Peter, but the way the show is going at the moment who knows where their relationship is headed... Enjoy!**_

The last of her possessions which still resided in the place she hated to call _her_ flat landed in the box with a crash which appeared to echo in the silent room. She had thought it would be easier to be here now after all this time, but nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught of memories which had hit her as soon as she stepped foot over the threshold.

She felt so alone, and yet impossibly so. Peter squeezed her hand as reassurance, but he couldn't understand no matter how much he wanted to. She could practically feel his bubble of protection surrounding her, but the ghosts of the past were something she had to face alone.

Everywhere she looked held a different memory. The wall Paul had thrown a glass at when he had poorly aimed for her head. The chair she had used to defend herself against Jimmy. The sofa she had sickeningly snuggled up on with Tony. The bedroom she had shared so rarely with Liam. That front door...

But, no matter how vivid these memories were, they were just that. _Memories_. They couldn't hurt her anymore and, what's more, she wasn't going to let them. Peter pulled her into an all-consuming hug, his lips pressing softly against the top of her head.

'I'm so proud of you, baby.'


	4. Saving Hayley

_**A/N Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you were all very kind.**_

_**This one is set back in 2010 during Tony's siege at the factory.**_

She had thought she had known Tony pretty well, but despite his possessiveness and psychopathic tendencies, she had to admit she had never seen this coming.

As she slowly slipped back into consciousness, her first thought was of the explosion of pain all over her body, before pin pointing more specific areas as she remembered how the gun had collided with her head, before her whole body had smashed onto the concrete floor of the factory. She strained her eyes through the haze which was clouding her sight, and she could just about make out the worried expression of Hayley, who was still tied to an office chair opposite her.

Poor Hayley; poor, innocent Hayley – the kindest and most genuine being in the world – did not deserve any of this. _She_ had wronged Tony by sleeping with Liam, but Hayley had done nothing except fall in love with a man who had been brave enough to do what she, herself, should have done. Instead, she had fled to L.A and left Weatherfield to suffer at the hands of her crazed husband.

She had let him wreak havoc before, but she wouldn't be making the same mistake twice. She would get Hayley out of this factory if it was the last thing she did, and she was all too aware of how probable that was.


	5. Confession Time

_**A/N I'm sorry everyone! I'm sorry it's taken me so long...again! I hope you can all forgive me, I'm awful at giving you updates. It's been so long since I've had chance to write, so this took a while to get back on my feet – I hope it doesn't show too much!**_

_**Anyway, this is a request from ACCRK, where Carla admitted to Peter she wasn't ready to sleep with him. I hope it does it even a small amount of justice.**_

As their lips locked Carla couldn't believe her luck. _Finally_, after so long, she was kissing Peter and _he_ was kissing back. It was like a dream, and dreams were things which she had been sorely lacking in recent months; the only experiences she had now were nightmares, pure and simple.

And yet here she was, and here _he_ was...and they were no longer two, but one.

Lost in the moment, the crash of her back against the wall brought her back to the harsh reality which was now her life. She made her lips connect with Peter's once more, but it wasn't the same any more. Thoughts which didn't belong with Peter flooded her mind and try as she might she couldn't make them budge.

She didn't want to stop. She'd waited so long for this moment that stopping here was like a nightmare in itself, but it wouldn't be right to tarnish this precious moment with ghosts of the recent past. It would pain her to do this, truly, but she owed it to herself to be honest.

As she pushed him away, she wanted nothing more than to pull him back and pretend everything was ok. But it wasn't ok. It was far from okay, and as hard as it would be to admit that, she knew it was the right thing to do.

'Oh god, Peter I'm sorry...'


	6. Leaving Liam

_**A/N Thank you to LoveCarlaConnor and KeepTheHeid for your lovely reviews, they really do mean a lot. And apologies for taking so long again...**_

_**This is another request from ACCRK, set during the conversation between Carla and Liam on her hen night.**_

As soon as the words formed in her mind, she tried to suppress them with all her might.

The words made her feel cold, like every ounce of life and warmth had been sucked from her body. These were words which should never be spoken to the beautiful man sat in front of her, confusion etched into his features; there was no way any woman could say this to Liam, let alone her.

But she knew she had to do this...that it was the _right_ thing to do. Finding out Maria was pregnant had been like a punch, not just to the gut but to every inch of her body. Carla may not be perfect, but there was no way she could let that baby grow up having stolen its father. Liam's child deserved the best from life, and so being fatherless just wasn't an option.

The sacrifice she was having to make was bigger than even she could have ever imagined. She tried to form the words on her lips, but her body wouldn't comply. Exhaling deeply, she let her mind wander to another place – somewhere full of strangers – so that she could finally force the words to roll of her tongue in a fairly natural and believable manner.

But she knew they weren't true. That they would never be true.

'I don't love you.'


End file.
